Headwear, such as hats or caps, may include a crown and a brim. The crown typically extends over the top and around the front, back, and/or sides of the user's head. The crown covers and protects at least a portion of the user's scalp region from the elements (sunlight, wind, rain, snow, etc.). The brim extends outward from the crown of the headwear and outward from the front, back, and/or sides of the user's head. The brim provides the face and/or the neck of the user with extended protection from the elements.
Different types of headwear provide different functionalities. For example, a wide-brimmed hat may provide an enhanced degree of extended protection from the elements. However, such a wide-brimmed hat may limit a user's movement, in that fast or sharp movements may cause the wide-brimmed hat to blow off or fall from the head. Further, wide-brimmed hats may limit a user's vision. Thus, as another example, a baseball cap with a forwardly extending bill may provide sufficient protection for a user's face, while at that same time allowing greater freedom of movement. Its relatively tight-fitting crown holds the baseball cap snugly to the user's head.
Today, in addition to providing various functionalities, various types of headwear are also selected for aesthetic purpose. Users may select their headwear to display a user's personality via choice of style, materials, colors, etc. Even further, the simple utilitarian cap has evolved into another piece of the iconic world of collectibles. Caps are not only functional pieces of clothing, but also offer many fine branding surfaces. The comparative inexpensive nature of the cap design and low manufacturing cost have been seized upon by the marketing world as a prime valued give-away opportunity, with the gifts emblazoned with all manner of team logos, company logos, themes, colors, etc. Thus, a baseball cap, for example, may include logos or color schemes consistent with a team, school, brand, company, employer, charity, etc., such that the user displays an affiliation upon wearing the cap.
Various caps or hats provided with movable, attachable, and/or detachable components for changing the functional and/or aesthetic characteristics of the cap are known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,545 to Tapia discloses an adjustable baseball type cap assemblage having a crown portion and various interchangeable visor portions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,684 to Casale discloses a sports hat construction with a brim portion detachable secured to the head covering portion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,246 to Alexander discloses a cap with a removable and reversible visor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,534 to Mobley discloses a hat having a movable brim or visor. U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,772 to Sprouse discloses a sports cap having a rotatable visor on a track assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,935 to Davis discloses a cap with an adjustable visor section. U.S. Pat. No. 0,488,293 to Norway, Jr. discloses a baseball cap with interchangeable bills. These patents provide various means for customizing the user's headwear by reconfiguring the various components of the cap or hat.
These known caps may require significant manipulation to move, attach or detach the various components. Further, the various known mechanisms for enabling the movement, attachment and/detachment may be relatively complex, thereby being relatively expansive to produce. Even further, the various known mechanisms may not provide satisfactory stability or rigidity between the movable or attached components and/or the attachment mechanism may prove to be unreliable. A configurable headwear assembly overcoming some or all of these various deficiencies in the prior art may be desirable.